Seven-year-old OFSAA record smashed

Posted: 3/7/2018

The SAC Saints performed exceedingly well in the two days of OFSAA competition in Windsor, Ont. They competed with 2400 swimmers representing a total of 356 teams.

There were many highlights over the two days of competition, but one that stood out was the smashing of a seven-year-old OFSAA record. Tyler Chan will be recognized in the local Windsor newspaper for beating SAC Old Boy Keaton Ward’s (class of 2013) 50m breaststroke OFSAA record from 2011, with a time of 31.94.

It’s one thing to break a longstanding OFSAA record, but there is something extra special for Tyler knowing that it was an Old Boy who had previously set it. “When they made the official announcement it felt surreal as I had beaten an Old Boy's record. I know Keaton's brother and it was an interesting feeling,” Tyler said.

Tyler admitted that he was aware of the record time before the race and knew how he had to perform. But once he got behind the blocks, he was able to zone in on the task at hand “I set my focus towards myself and less on the other swimmers. During the race, I look at my own lane,” he said.

The time of 31.94 in the 50m breaststroke was a personal best for Tyler, but when asked about the most memorable moment from the two days, he answered, “I will remember the fun times in the hotel and bus rides. I remember clearly seeing my teammates on the bleachers waving and cheering me on which gave me a boost of energy.”

There’s something to be said about the sportsmanship and support that this team has for one another and that is evident in their performance over the two days.

Here is a recap of the rest of the action from Windsor:

Day 1 - The junior boys employed a brilliant strategy having Richard Rong swim the butterfly leg of the 200 medley relay to give Alex Ventin a rest for the finals. The boys, Michael Hanrahan, Matthew Situ, and Matthew Deo, were rewarded with a sixth place finish.

With nail-biting results, your junior Saints swim team earned the Junior OFSAA championship banner, which will be proudly hung in the Walden pool. Congratulations, boys!

A special shout-out to the graduating seniors, Eric Situ, William Myerson, Chris Leung, Drew Hamilton, and, Ben Tomkinson for their dedication to the program, and to the co-captains, Julian Settino and Nick Badali, for leading the charge.